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5 Eyeshadow Palettes Worth the Splurge (+ Swatches)

Neutral eyeshadow palettes are one of my true beauty loves. This post is going to be about the 5 I think are worth spending a little bit more on (do let me know if you'd like to see a budget/drugstore version, I did a Makeup Revolution one not too long ago as well).

Of course this cult classic was going to be in this post, and with good reason. It's my 'do it all' warm neutrals palette. I love this one because of the variation; you can get so many different looks out of it for both day and night, though I tend to favour the bronzier tones. There are 4 mattes and 8 shimmers, which is perfect for me as I tend to prefer shimmers but you still get the basic matte shades for your crease, base and smoke. Half-Baked, a brilliant bright gold, is one of my all-time favourite eyeshadow shades. I also love Sidecar (a cool bronze-taupe shimmer), Buck (a reddish brown matte) and Smog (a warm bronze). The only thing I dislike about this product is the packaging as it really is quite rubbish, especially for the price! I wish they'd bring out the original in the same tin packaging as the later versions, however for now we're stuck with the flimsy cardboard and felt. However Urban Decay do some of, if not the best quality eyeshadows out there. The shades are buttery smooth, easy to work with, have amazing pigmentation, minimal fallout and wear really well. Personally I think the original has the best balance of tones but if you prefer cooler shades go for the 2 or for rosier shades 3. There's also a new smoky eye version coming out you might want to check out!

The newest addition to my stash, but one I can't stop wearing is Soul, from Stila's Eyes Are the Window line. I hadn't really considered Stila's eyeshadows before, especially as they aren't the easiest to find in the UK. However when I saw these cropping up on blogs I knew I had to have one. Firstly the gold and copper packaging is beautiful and makes a great addition to my dressing table. The shades are also impressive, a mix of warmer and cooler mainly copper/brown tones. Again, one of the great things about this is that you get a few mattes as well as shimmer shades. This isn't as versatile asthe Naked 1 but it makes for a lovely everyday look. My favourite shades are Individual (a very warm matte brown), Kitten (a champagne shimmer highlight) and Affection (a warm copper tone). Whilst not quite as pigmented and beautifully smooth to work with as the Urban Decay offering, the texture of these make the shades effortless to work with.

I could sing this palette's praises all day everyday! I ordered this from the US, which was surprisingly fuss-free (check out full review linked below for all the shipping and tax details). As with the Urban Decay palette, the downside is the cardboard packaging, however that's easily forgiven once you open it up. Every single shade makes me swoon and the quality is just out of this world. The incredible pigmentation and super-smooth texture makes this at the very least comparable to Urban Decay's quality and the shades in this last on my eyes like no other! I cannot rave about this palette enough and it was really tough to pick my favourite shades as they're all so beautiful. After careful consideration, my most-loved colours are Unbelievable (a rose-toned shimmer), Unattainable (a bronze shimmer), Undiscovered (a bright gold) and Unspoken (a caramel-brown matte). In short: this palette is just perfection!

A bit of a luxe pick at £45 for a quad, however look at those shades! It's a small, compact palette however I love the rose gold detailing on the packaging and it really does feel like a luxury when I get this out to use. The entire palette is beautiful but the shade that really sold me on it is the Enhance shade, a gorgeous deep red. It's a bit of a one-note palette; for day I just skip the Pop shade, however it's one I'm glad to have in my collection for evening wear and especially when Autumn comes around. The texture is beautiful, though Pop is a little full of glitter to be to everyone's tastes. I love the champagne shade Prime and the brown-grey Smoke colour is beautiful. For a night out I rarely reach for anything else and love to pair it with a dark nude like MAC Taupe.

The final palette on my list is my go-to for everyday or if I can't quite decide or I'm going for bold lips or blusher. It's probably the one with the least 'wow' factor however it's one I reach for over and over again. Good mattes are hard to come by and these really are effortless, if you're after an all-matte palette Too Faced have released a matte version of this you may want to check out, however I love the mixture. These are all really natural gold and brown shades, they're not the most pigmented on this list but so easy to use. My favourite shades are Cashmere Bunny (a pink-taupe matte), Push-Up (a copper-bronze shimmer) and Honey Pot (a bright bold shimmer). It's one of those ones where the shades don't look like much in the pan but on your eyes they really come to life.

There are only 2 matte shades in the Naked palette, the other 2 are definitely not 100% matte, maybe more of a satin finish. And I agree, the packaging is terrible, mine is falling apart and I'm thinking of trying to depot it... unless that's insane lol

Love my Naked original palette it is seriously the best and actually one palette that I have used for being the kind of a person who rarely wears eyeshadows. But I seriously want to try the charlotte tilbury makeup and her eyeshadow quad looks phenomenal..

I keep trying to tell myself that I don't really need that CT offering but I think you may have converted me, I mean... those shades are absolutely gorgeous, especially the burnt/rustic/bronze-red shade! I may have to pick that up on our little shopping trip ;) & that LORAC palette is just gorgeous too! My bank balance officially hates you!

The only one of these I own is the Naked Palette, but all of the other four are ones I've eyed up! The Lorac Unzipped is particularly high on my wishlist (typical seeing as it's the least accessible!) I love that you've included all the swatches - so helpful :)

I am thinking of getting the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita palette to wear as my graduation eye makeup, so thanks for the swatches and also the run through of the other palettes as they're all popular high-end choices! Eyeshadow is just so beautiful and I'm so glad I got into wearing it over the last year as I never even used to know where to start with it! Lovely post :)Rebecca | The Two Twenty SomethingsXx

Swooning over these gorgeous swathes!I've always thought about getting the Stila one because the packaging and choice of shades are just beautiful but I already own the stila in the light one and enjoy it for everyday but I'm not blown away by the formula over all :/ also Dolce Vita is on my wishlist, totally lusting after it and that Lorac palette! GORGEOUS *_*Iqra |The Blushing Giraffe x

Okay I basically want them all! I'd seen some other reviews of the Stila palette, but never with swatches and now it's definitely on the top of my list. Those colors are gorgeous! And the Lorac Unzipped Palette is so beautiful as well! Thanks so much for the swatches and reviews!

I can't live without my Naked Palettes, I have them all! They are perfect for any type of look. You can't go wrong with them. I would love to get my hands on the Too Faced Natural Eyes, the shades are gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing, Jasmine! A really useful post! xx

100% agree on Naked Palette, it was my first eyeshadow palette and it's still one of the best. Charlotte Tilbury is finally launching in Canada this month and I am looking forward to pick up her lipsticks and eyeshadow quads!